Cheap Power Boost?

Im runnin an 89 jimmy with a 4.3L.. Im putting it in the a tough truck contest at the end of summer and ii was wondering if anybody had ideas of ways i could get a few more ponies out of the engine even if its just a quick burst. Usually it only take about 2 min to finish the track so it wont be running for an extended amount of time... keep in mind this vehicle is not expected to make it out of the competition and if it does it will be put back in next year so make suggestions even if there tough on the engine, just put a side note... Thanks!

Im runnin an 89 jimmy with a 4.3L.. Im putting it in the a tough truck contest at the end of summer and ii was wondering if anybody had ideas of ways i could get a few more ponies out of the engine even if its just a quick burst. Usually it only take about 2 min to finish the track so it wont be running for an extended amount of time... keep in mind this vehicle is not expected to make it out of the competition and if it does it will be put back in next year so make suggestions even if there tough on the engine, just put a side note... Thanks!

Drain the front and rear differentials and the X-case, and put 5 weight oil in them. If you've got a manual tranny, do the same.

YOU DID SAY THAT THE VEHICLE IS NOT EXPECTED TO FINISH COMPETITION; the 90-140 weight gear oil will take A FEW extra ponies...

Meh changing the fluid weights might add some but it will be very negligeable, I'd change them out for low weight synthetics, it will work just as good but keep things from fragging under load, no sense in deliberately trashing the truck unless that's the whole point lol. I'd pull all "un-needed" bottle necks since the truck is not being driving 1000 miles to the show I'd pull the fuel filter and straight line it, maybe the old mothballs in the gas tank lol but I dunno if that actually works. In the end I'd just do a good tune up, change out some of the grungy stuff, and seal your electrical, the last thing you want is to make a good run and crap out because your cap was cracked or the computer got a splash, a call of "seal-all" works or you can just run clear silicone over seams. Run the red line!

Im runnin an 89 jimmy with a 4.3L.. Im putting it in the a tough truck contest at the end of summer and ii was wondering if anybody had ideas of ways i could get a few more ponies out of the engine even if its just a quick burst. Usually it only take about 2 min to finish the track so it wont be running for an extended amount of time... keep in mind this vehicle is not expected to make it out of the competition and if it does it will be put back in next year so make suggestions even if there tough on the engine, just put a side note... Thanks!

1. cam2 racing fuel
2. strongest octane booster you can get
3. NOS, don't even have to go big bucks, just get it in the intake
4. buckle up
5. hang on tight
6. scream like your at 6 flags!!!!!!
:evillol: :eek2: :newburn: :icon16:

1. cam2 racing fuel
2. strongest octane booster you can get
3. NOS, don't even have to go big bucks, just get it in the intake
4. buckle up
5. hang on tight
6. scream like your at 6 flags!!!!!!
:evillol: :eek2: :newburn: :icon16:

hehe if he wants to get any use of those octane boosts he's going to want to find a way to change his rev limiter, no sense in bringing the fuel stability up to high RPM specs when the computer won't let him run the redline in the first place

hehe if he wants to get any use of those octane boosts he's going to want to find a way to change his rev limiter, no sense in bringing the fuel stability up to high RPM specs when the computer won't let him run the redline in the first place
o.k, rev limiter is what, 5200? with these go for it mods, by the time it hits it, in 1st,2nd, and IF 3rd, all the rest will see is back bumper!!!!!
YEEEEEHHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!:icon16::icon16::icon16::ico n16::icon16::icon16::icon16::icon16::icon16:

o.k, rev limiter is what, 5200? with these go for it mods, by the time it hits it, in 1st,2nd, and IF 3rd, all the rest will see is back bumper!!!!!
YEEEEEHHHAAAAAAAA!!!!!:icon16::icon16::icon16::ico n16::icon16::icon16::icon16::icon16::icon16:

I was just pointing out that octane doesn't make gas more "flammable" like most ppl think, it actually stabilizes (well this is a very dumbed down version) it so you can run much higher compression or higher RPM, it prevents pre-detonation (engine goes boom). That's why high end sports cars (covettes, porsche, etc) say right in the manual -MUST BE RUN WITH PREMIUM FUEL ONLY-. 5200rpm is not bad but if he adds that much octane he should program the computer to bypass the limiter and run a higher RPM since his fuel will now be able to handle it. Of course the rest of the engine might not lol. Either way it will be fun to watch I'm sure :D

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm More info on our good friend octane :)

I was just pointing out that octane doesn't make gas more "flammable" like most ppl think, it actually stabilizes (well this is a very dumbed down version) it so you can run much higher compression or higher RPM, it prevents pre-detonation (engine goes boom). That's why high end sports cars (covettes, porsche, etc) say right in the manual -MUST BE RUN WITH PREMIUM FUEL ONLY-. 5200rpm is not bad but if he adds that much octane he should program the computer to bypass the limiter and run a higher RPM since his fuel will now be able to handle it. Of course the rest of the engine might not lol. Either way it will be fun to watch I'm sure :D

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm More info on our good friend octane :)

way to serious, dude! the thread said it didn't have to last more than a few minutes, so go for broke!!! p.s. google home made octane booster, and ther are several recipe's to make your own!!:naughty::uhoh:

way to serious, dude! the thread said it didn't have to last more than a few minutes, so go for broke!!! p.s. google home made octane booster, and ther are several recipe's to make your own!!:naughty::uhoh:

I wasn't being serious, note the :D 's and the :) in there. I was just saying -casually- that octane boosts add zero (0) horsepower without bringing either the RPM higher or the compression ratio's up. The stock comp ratio and RPM limit are set to stock low grade gas 86\89 octane, so the boost won't boost unless you give the engine room to rock out. Crank 'her up! :D :D

I was just pointing out that octane doesn't make gas more "flammable" like most ppl think, it actually stabilizes (well this is a very dumbed down version) it so you can run much higher compression or higher RPM, it prevents pre-detonation (engine goes boom). That's why high end sports cars (covettes, porsche, etc) say right in the manual -MUST BE RUN WITH PREMIUM FUEL ONLY-. 5200rpm is not bad but if he adds that much octane he should program the computer to bypass the limiter and run a higher RPM since his fuel will now be able to handle it. Of course the rest of the engine might not lol. Either way it will be fun to watch I'm sure :D

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm More info on our good friend octane :)

i just read the link to how stuff works, and find it too much "bill nye, the science guy"ish for me. also, the author does not speak on the us method of R/m squared, which is the number on us gas pumps. raising 87 "octane" gas by "one point" using r/m sq'd is actually 87.1, and so on. so, although very fun reading, it still , in my opinion will not disuade me from using "octane booster" to increase performance of cheap 87 grade gas. untill 93 gets back to under 2.75 a gallon.

p.s. did anyone hear if this truck won the tough truck, or got left for the buzzards??:icon16:

i just read the link to how stuff works, and find it too much "bill nye, the science guy"ish for me. also, the author does not speak on the us method of R/m squared, which is the number on us gas pumps. raising 87 "octane" gas by "one point" using r/m sq'd is actually 87.1, and so on. so, although very fun reading, it still , in my opinion will not disuade me from using "octane booster" to increase performance of cheap 87 grade gas. untill 93 gets back to under 2.75 a gallon.

p.s. did anyone hear if this truck won the tough truck, or got left for the buzzards??:icon16:

Yeah I dunno what happened to his truck. I know it was very Bill Nye, but the whole over-point of it was that higher octane really only adds HP in higher RPM ranges. Your truck comes from the factory made to shift at a certain point max (redline), that redline is at the peak speed you can spin "regular" gasoline without any problems (knocking). Adding octane booster will stabilize the fuel so you can spin it higher (a higher redline, instead of being "dangerous" at 5500rpm it's now stable up to 8000rpm), BUT since our trucks have a forced shift at the "regular" gas redline then you really can't get any use out of a higher octaned fuel unless you alter the rpm limiter to let you run the tacometer higher. That's the jist of the article in a nutshell really.

It's the same principal I try to explain to all those "ricers" who put MASSIVE wings on the backs of their cars. Barring the other obvious faults of a spoiler on a FWD vehicle, the spoiler won't help ANYTHING since it doesn't even become a requirement until extreme speeds are reached (say, 100mph+) so why do they even need one for tearing around town other than the gaudy look of it lol.

Cheers though if you wanna keep running your boosters, get a computer programmer and turn your redline up about 1000rpm and run premium, floor it and you'll see what I mean :D

thats the beauty of having a hypertech PPIII. at any time i want, i can take 5 min.s and set the red line in each gear plus the rev limiter from stock to mechanical limit of the valve train, top speed match to tires, octane in the pump gas, etc. it was worth every penny i paid for it, and unlike plug ins, i can sit in the truck and push y/n/o.k and it is done in a few minutes. then, when i go to a dealership to get work done, i hit 1 yes button, and the stock factory program is back, and all is right with the world.
:2cents:

Hey so im interested in this raising the rev limit, do you have to have the dealerships hookup to do this? The competition isnt till beginin august, for a boost i was thinking of using those electric either can sprayers like trators and loaders have on them. Or does the engine run bad using either?

Hey so im interested in this raising the rev limit, do you have to have the dealerships hookup to do this? The competition isnt till beginin august, for a boost i was thinking of using those electric either can sprayers like trators and loaders have on them. Or does the engine run bad using either?

depending on the year, it plugs into the diagnosic port about the size of a pack of large gum under the dash near the parking brake pedal, but for a one time run hyper tech is spendy. go on ebay and look for a plug in chip for your truck/year under parts and accessories, and you'll find tons of them from used to custom programmed for your truck. if the race is big enough, there may be someone on e-bay that will do it st the track. you will need to get a nozzle and a nos bottle to shoot nos, anyother way, go boom!!!
good luck, keep us updated how you do!!:icon16::icon16: